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Abstract

We present a novel, to our knowledge, architecture for parallel
database processing called the multiwavelength optical
content-addressable parallel processor (MW-OCAPP). The MW-OCAPP
is designed to provide efficient parallel data retrieval and processing
by means of moving the bulk of database operations from electronics to
optics. It combines a parallel model of computation with the
many-degrees-of-processing freedom that light provides. The
MW-OCAPP uses a polarization and wavelength-encoding scheme to achieve
a high level of parallelism. Distinctive features of the proposed
architecture include (1) the use of a multiwavelength encoding
scheme to enhance processing parallelism, (2) multicomparand
word-parallel bit-parallel equality and magnitude comparison with an
execution time independent of the data size or the word size, (3)
the implementation of a suite of 11 database primitives, and (4)
multicomparand two-dimensional data processing. The MW-OCAPP
architecture realizes 11 relational database
primitives: difference, intersection, union, conditional selection,
maximum, minimum, join, product, projection, division, and
update. Most of these operations execute in constant time,
independent of the data size. We outline the architectural concepts
and motivation behind the MW-OCAPP’s design and describe the
architecture required for implementing the equality and
intersection–difference processing cores. Additionally, a physical
demonstration of the multiwavelength equality operation is presented,
and a performance analysis of the proposed system is
provided.

References

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